In times when there is fear, anxiety, and unpredictability, providing comfort and support to individuals is imperative. That is why Philly-headquartered insurance carrier, Independence Blue Cross (IBC), has launched a new initiative — “Calls of Kindness.”
Through this initiative, IBC employee volunteers call Medicare members to proactively check-in on their well-being. The motivation behind these efforts is to not only provide comfort and support to members, but to reassure IBC’s “most at-risk members that they are not alone.”
“We thought that making proactive outreach calls like these would help reassure our most at-risk members that they are not alone and that we are here to help them with anything from getting groceries to accessing telemedicine or just talking if that’s what they need.”
Dr. Heidi J. Syropoulos
A data system is used to identify Medicare members who may live alone and have low-risk chronic conditions, which in turn initiates a Call of Kindness. The employee volunteers start by introducing themselves and explaining the reason for the call. They then will ask questions about the member’s support system and if they can get their own groceries or necessary prescriptions. If the member cannot and does not have someone to run necessary errands for them, the IBC volunteer connects them with a case manager who is able to further assist them. IBC volunteers have made significant impressions on members, uplifting their spirits by simply being there to lend an ear and helping hand in a time of need.
In addition to the “Calls of Kindness,” Independence Blue Cross has registered nurse health coaches and employees on the Member Help Team, who reach out to Commercial and Medicare members with high-risk chronic conditions.
Thus far, the IBC team has made more than 26,441 calls and counting.
Information provided by Independence Newsroom.